Jury Nixes Northpoint Patents

A jury Wednesday invalidated two patents that had been awarded to Northpoint Technology Ltd.

The patents claimed to cover the technology to be used in the video and data service Northpoint plans to launch using the same spectrum direct-broadcast satellite providers currently use.

MDS America Inc. has already deployed similar services outside of the United States, and the company has expressed interest in doing so within the United States.

"Today’s decision paves the way for MDS America’s MVDDS [multichannel-video-distribution and data service] equipment to be used to provide new broadband wireless service that can bring high-speed-Internet and multichannel-video service to the U.S., particularly to underserved rural areas," MDS America president and CEO Kirk Kirkpatrick said in a prepared statement.